Can-cap.



E. M. LANG, J11.

CAN GAP.

APPLIOATION FILED r1211. 20, 1911.

1 1 22,955, Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

FIE.

EDWARD M. LANG, JR., OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

can-car.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2a, iaia.

Application filed February 20, 1911. Serial No. 609,687.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD M. LANG, Jr'., acitizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented an Improve ment in-Can-Caps; and I hereby declare I that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the caps ordinarily employed for the sealing ofcans used for the preservation of hermetically sealed goods and forother purposes. These caps as they have heretofore been prepared are somade that when placed one upon the other, they nest completely. Fromthis fact has arisen great difiiculty in the use of mechanicalappliances for'feeding the caps for any purpose and, indeed, even withcaps fed by hand, the difficulty experienced being in the separation ofthe caps one from another.

It is the purpose of my invention to. produce caps which, while numbersof them will nest, will not permit the edges of the caps so nested to beso closely contiguous as to pre vent their ready separation-either bymechanical means or manually. This may be effected in several wayswithout departing from the spirit of my invention. In the drawing isshown a cancap which possesses the merits sought by my invention whereinthe object is effected by means of a broken groove or indentation madefrom the under side of the cap.

In the drawing: Figure 1 shows a top plan .ofthe cap, Fig. 2 a view ofthe under side of the same;- Fig. 3 a transverse vertical section of thecap, Fig. 4 shows in side elevation a'stack of said can caps as adaptedto be fed in the machine; and Figs. 5 and 6 are plan VieWs of similarcaps to those of Figs. 1 and 2, except that the pfotuberances thereonare differently arranged.

o The grooves a, a are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and are disposed withinthe lip b of the cap and, as before stated, raised upon the upper sideof the cap. They may, however, be produced with equally good effects bygrooving them downward so that upon the upper surface of the cap theypresent the appearance of creases or grooves. I do not, however, confinemyself to circular grooves concentric with the center of the cap, nor,indeed, to circular grooves, but the grooves may be disposed radially,or as chords of a circle, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, orthree or more indentations may be made in the cap either from above orbelow (not passing through the cap). Other methods in which the sameresults may be accomplished will readily suggest themselves.

The caps constructed in accordance with my invention nest more looselythan ordinary caps so that the fingers of the hand,

when the caps are fed'manually, or the various devices used in capfeeding mechanisms for the purpose may readily separate the lowermost oruppermost cap, as may be desired, from the others. And even when amagnet is employed for the purpose of separating the uppermost cap fromthe others, it will be found that, when the caps are provided with themeans I have described above, the lifting of two cups at.

the same time, which often happens with the present form of cap, may beavoided.

What I claim as my invention and desire EDWARD M. LANG, JR.

Signed in presence of- A. C. BERRY, LLEWELLYN BARTON.

